Electric heating attachment for radiators.



T. A. STELLER.

ELECTRIC HEATING ATTACHMENT FOR RADIATORS.

APPLICATION FILED SBPT.11, 1913.

Patented. Jan. 12-, 1915.

THEODO'RE A. STELLER, OF HOUGHTON, MICHIGAN.

ELECTRIC HEATING ATTACHMENT FOR RADIATORS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 12, 1915.

Application tiled September 11, 1913. Serial No. 789,282.

State of Michigan, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inElectric Heating Attachments for Radiators; and I do declare thefollowing to be a full, clear,

and exact description of the invention, such as will enable othersskilled in the art to which it appertains tomake-and use the same. V

This invention relates to electric heaters, and more especially toradiators; and the object of the same is to produce an attachment-whichmay be applied to any of the well known types of radiators now in useand employing steam or hot Water or hot air.

To this end the invention consists in an attachment whose details areset forth in the following specification and are shown in the drawingswherein- Figure 1 is a side elevation of a radiator equipped with thisattachment; Fig. 2 is an enlarged yertical longitudinal section throughthe lower portion of a radiator so equipped; Fig. 3 is a perspectivedetail, and

Fig.& is a horizontal section through the nipple and the inner end ofthe shell which contains the heater element. 1

In the'drawings I have illustrated an ordinary hot water radiatorcomprising inner sections I and end sections E, the latter mounted onlegsas usual and all the sections held together by bolts B, but I haveshown the piping as disconnected from the radiator and this improvedattachment as applied thereto. The gist of the present inventionconsists in the fact that if it be desired to installelectricity as theheating means instead of steam, hot water, or hot air, it is onlynecessary to remove the pipes which lead to the radiator, close theopening at one end of the base of the same, and insert a nipple in theother end of said base, which nipple carries an ordinary electricheating element that can be bought in the market, and connect the polesof said heater element with a source of electricity. It will beunderstood of course that if the radiator is a large one, an attachmentof this character could be inserted from each end thereof, but I haveconsidered it necessary to show and describe only a single attachment inuse. 1

Coming now to the details of thepresent invention, the numeral 1designates a nipple or socket member having a shoulder 2 at about itsmidlength and inside said shoulder external threads 3 of a size to fitthe threads in the end section E of the radiator and internal threads 4of a size to fit a tubular casing 5 which is by preference closed at itsinner end as at 6 and open at its outerend so that a heater element 7such as may be bought in the open market may be inserted therein. Thiscasing will be nearly as long as the radiator, and the rigid support bythe threads 4 within the nipple 1 will hold the casing concentric withthe openings throughout all the inner sections I so that its inner end 6by preference stands near the remote end of the radiator where the endsection E will in this case be closed by a plug 8 as best seen in Fig.2. This plug 8 has the inner portion thereof designed hollow inconstruction as shown clearly in Fig. 2 of the drawing so that the samemaylooselv receive therein the inner end of the tubular casing 5 whichsupports the heating element. This member 8, therefore, performs adouble function and may be termed a combined closure plug and supportingbushing. The nipple 1 therefore serves the function of a bushing and itsshoulder 2 is by preference made angular on the exterior as shown inFig. 1. Its exterior threads 3 are of standard pitch so that they engagethe female threads within the end section E, the same as the nipple ofthe Water or steam system now commonly employed with radiators. Theouter end of this nipple is by preference cut ofi' on an oblique line asshown and flanged as at 10, its upper side being left open for receivinga block 11 of insulating material, provided with suitable holes throughwh ch pass the terminals 12 of the heater 7. These terminals arethreaded as at 13 to receive nuts 14.- which when set up tight will holdthe block '11 in place within the outer end of the nipple; and thepoints of the terminals may be suitably shaped to fit the holes in anelectric socket S.

The casing 5 I would make of thin noncorrosive metal, and as abovesuggested it may be of such length as to reach nearly all a rather wideradiator. The various sections of the latter may be filled or partlyfilled with water which circulates around the exterior of the casingwithout coming in contact with the heating element. If steam heat isdesired, but little water is used; if water heat is desired the radiatorwill be nearly filled; and in either case the pet cock P will preferablybe left open to permit of expansion and'contraction.

This attachment may be applied to radiators now in use in steam or hotwater systems or to independent radiators, that is radiators notincluded in any heating system. The attachment should always be appliedto the lower part of the radiator in order to obtain the best results sothat the casing of the electric heat unit or element 7 will always besurrounded by water. In applying the device to the radiator now in use,it is only necessary to remove the plugs or pipes, as the case may be,from the lower portion of the radiator and screw in to the one threadedopening the nipple or socket member 1. In the other threaded openingfrom which a plug or pipe has been removed, is introduced the member 8which, as stated above, may be termed a combined closure plug andsupporting bushing. The electrical connection may then be made in theusual manner.

The device may be made of any length so as to extend a distance into thecomplete radiator sufiicient to properly heat the water therein and itvwill be understood that if desired two smaller sections may be insertedin opposite ends of the same'radiator.

In assembling the different parts of the attachment the casing 5 isscrewed into the nipple or socket member 1, the heater element 7 is theninserted in the opposite end of the same and the insulation block 11 isdropped over the terminals 12. The nuts 13 are applied to hold the partsassembled. The casing member 5 is preferably detachably connected withthe nipple or socket member 1 so that should it become .worn out orshould it leak a new one may be readily substituted.

At any time when the heater element becomes defective, it can readily beremoved by slipping the socket S off the terminals and unscrewing thenuts 14 and then withdrawing the insulation block 11, after which theterminals may be grasped by hand and the element 7 drawn bodil out ofthe casing 5 through the open end 0 the nipple. Thus the particularconstruction of the latter which affords guides for the insulation blockserves the function of holding the heater element removably in place.

I do not wish to be confine to the materials or proportions of part norto exact details except as set forth in the following claim.

What is claimed as new is: r

In an electric "attachment for radiators, the combination-with a bodyhaving alining threaded openings at the opposite ends thereof; of anipple externally threaded for a portion of its length and engaged witha threaded opening at one end of said body, said nipple being open atboth ends and having its inner end internally threaded, a tubular casingremovably engaged at its one end with the internally threaded end ofsaid nipple and extending to a point within the threaded opening at theopposite end of the body, a heating element carried within said casingand having its terminal projected beyond the outer open endof thenipple, and a combined closure plug and supporting bushing engaged withthe threaded opening at the opposite end of the body and looselyreceiving therein the free end of said tubu lar casing.

In' testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of twosubscribing witnesses.

THEODORE A. STELLER.

Witnesses:

J. A. GRIESBAUER, JAMES E. SCHRIDEB.

